Europa League Team of the Playoff Round XI

The first leg of the Europa League playoff round is in the books. Teams such as Celtic, Nottingham Forest and Stuttgart were in action – but who made it into our team of the round?

Previously, we put together a team of the round for the Champions League playoffs – today, we’ll be doing the same thing for the Europa League.

GK: Stefan Ortega

Former Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega put forth a faultless display for Nottingham Forest in their dominant victory over Fenerbahce.

The Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium is never an easy place to visit, but Ortega wasn’t over-awed by the occasion, maintaining his clean sheet with relative ease.

RB: Son

Ludogorets had been drawn against Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros in the Europa League – as two surprise packages, this one was a real 50/50.

Nevertheless, Son took the game by the horns. He dominated the right flank, capping off his performance with a goal in the second half.

CB: Murillo

Nottingham Forest’s Premier League form might be dismal, but new head coach Vitor Peirera certainly had them firing in the Europa League.

They defeated Fenerbahce by a score of 3-0 – Murillo scored a goal and managed to keep a clean sheet along the way.

CB: Jhon Lucumi

Jhon Lucumi had plenty of work to do when Bologna made the trip to Brann in near-freezing temperatures, but he proved that he was up for the fight.

He made plenty of clearances, tackles and blocks to secure the win and a clean sheet for the Serie A outfit.

LB: Zakaria El Ouahdi

Genk have been one of the Europa League’s most notable dark horses in the Europa League this year – they showed they’re not ready to go away just yet when they took Dinamo Zagreb apart.

Zakaria El Ouahdi was the star of the show, scoring a brace from the left-back position in a 3-1 win for the Belgians.

CM: Miguel Roman

Celta Vigo put forth a dominant display against PAOK on Thursday night. Despite the game finishing 2-1, it was a far more convincing display than the scoreline might suggest.

Miguel Roman ran Celta’s midfield, notching up an assist en route to their crucial victory at the Toumba Stadium.

CM: Bryan Heynen

El Ouahdi isn’t the only Genk player to make it into our list – long-time club icon Bryan Heynen was almost amongst their top players on Thursday.

Heynan scored Genk’s first goal of the game, which was also his sixth of the season – this has been one of his strongest seasons for the Belgian giants.

RW: Bilal El Khannouss

Celtic’s frail backline paid the price against Stuttgart, as the Bundesliga outfit ripped them to shreds at Celtic Park.

Bilal El Khannouss was the most prolific of their tormentors, scoring a brace in the first half against the Hoops.

AM: Morgan Gibbs-White

The 2025/26 season has been a difficult one for Morgan Gibbs-White, but there could be no complaints about his performance against Fenerbahce.

Gibbs-White scored a goal and racked up an assist against the Turkish giants – could he win a late spot in the England World Cup squad?

LW: Williot Swedberg

Young winger Williot Swedberg announced himself to the world during Celta Vigo’s 2-1 win over PAOK in the Europa League on Thursday evening.

He put forth a tireless performance on the wing, pushing himself to get into dangerous areas – his efforts paid off with a goal in the first half.

ST: Andrews Tetteh

Panathinaikos faced a tough challenge as Viktoria Plzen came to visit, but Andrews Tetteh was on hand to spare them from defeat.

He scored a brace in a 2-2 draw – Panathinaikos will now need to travel to the Czech Republic with the scores level.